My outlook for 2026: orchestration, the human edge and the AI bubble

<p>Welcome to Exponential View, the show where I explore how exponential technologies such as AI are reshaping our future. I've been studying AI and exponential technologies at the frontier for over ten years. Each week, I share some of my analysis or speak with an expert guest to make light of a particular topic. </p><p>To keep up with the Exponential transition, subscribe to this channel or to my newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co/ </p><p>-------- </p><p>In this episode, I share my outlook for 2026 and explain why AI tools now feel genuinely different. I explore how the act of making has been transformed, why authenticity and meaning will become the new scarcity, and whether the foundations of energy and capital can hold. I also address the question I was asked most in 2025: when will the AI bubble burst? </p><p><strong>Skip to the best bits: </strong></p><p>00:00 Why AI feels different in 2026 </p><p>01:59 The six shifts in AI 03:32 The "done list" era </p><p>06:43 From execution to orchestration </p><p>09:02 The agentic coding revolution </p><p>11:10 What's a Chief Question Officer? </p><p>13:58 Three ways value will be created </p><p>16:27 "Claude told me to use ChatGPT" </p><p>18:02 The AI usage gap </p><p>20:30 The new moat in 2026 </p><p>26:10 How does solar growth affect AI? </p><p>28:53 Revisiting the bubble or boom question </p><p>------ </p><p><strong>Where to find me</strong>: </p><p>Exponential View newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co/ </p><p>Website: https://www.azeemazhar.com/ </p><p>LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azhar/ </p><p>Twitter/X: https://x.com/azeem </p><p>Production by supermix.io and EPIIPLUS1 </p><p>Production and research: Chantal Smith and Marija Gavrilov.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>